inbound
Cargo-carrying “robocopters” earn their stripes
Haiku on the
highway
Poetry and public safety: not
something we’d normally think of
as having any connection. But a
novel program cooked up by the
Arizona Department of
Transportation aims to use the literary form to improve highway
safety in that state.
According to a report in the
New York Daily News, the agency
invited motorists to submit haiku
about Arizona’s summer dust
storms (known locally as
“haboobs”), which can suddenly
reduce visibility on roads to near
zero. The centuries-old Japanese
poetry form consists of successive
lines of just five, seven, and five
syllables—perfectly suited to
Twitter, as Daily News reporter
Alexander Nazaryan noted.
The “Haboob Haiku” initiative
is part of the state’s “Pull Aside—
Stay Alive” dust-storm safety campaign. Officials hope the haiku
tweets will raise awareness about
the dangers of driving during the
storms.
Some of the submissions were
clever indeed. A few examples:
An ominous sight / The
mighty dirt monster nears /
Pool owners fear him.
Monsoon winds whip fierce. /
Desert dust devils dance free. /
Drive with caution, please.
Would you fly a kite / in a
giant hurricane? / Don’t drive
in haboobs.
You’re not a Jedi. / This is not
Tatooine, Luke. / Pull over
now, man.
Read the top 15, culled from
more than 1,500 entries, at
http://adotblog.blogspot.com/201
2/06/vote-for-your-favorite-
haboob-haiku.html. ;
Necessity breeds invention, which is why the U.S. military has historically been
a leader in logistics innovations. That tradition continues today, as the deployment of new transport technology in Afghanistan clearly demonstrates.
After stateside tests late in 2011, the U.S. Marine Corps deployed two
unmanned K-Max helicopters to Afghanistan, the first such “robocopters” to
deliver cargo and resupply troops in a combat zone. In one four-month
stretch, the two helicopters—jointly developed by Lockheed Martin and
Kaman Aerospace—delivered more than 1 million pounds of supplies in support of the U.S. Marines in Afghanistan. They will remain in theater until
September 2012.
Marine Corps Maj. Kyle O’Connor, who is overseeing the deployment,
would like to put more of the unmanned craft into service. “We are moving
cargo without putting any Marines, soldiers, or airmen at risk. If we had a fleet
of these things flying 24-7, we could move cargo around and not put people in
jeopardy,” he said in a Lockheed Martin press release.
The helicopter initiative has been on the military’s radar for several years.
(See “Military tests unmanned helicopters to reduce supply risks,” DC
VELOCITY, October 2010.) In 2011, the U.S. Army awarded the Lockheed
Martin–Kaman Aerospace team a $47 million contract to develop, demonstrate, and deliver technologies for unmanned air systems in support of in-the-ater unmanned cargo resupply missions. ;
No-frills forklift focuses on simplicity, service
Lift truck makers these days offer vehicles with an
astonishing array of capabilities, options, and technological enhancements, but not everyone needs all these
bells and whistles. Some just want a basic, affordable
counterbalanced truck.
One truck that’s specifically designed for
such operations is the Utilev line of 5,000-
and 6,000-pound capacity diesel and LPG forklift trucks,
which were introduced in select U.S. markets in early May. (Utilev plans to
expand throughout North and South America.) The manufacturer calls the
vehicles “an economical, uncomplicated solution” for light- to medium-duty
operating environments and for companies that use their lift trucks intermittently and may not need “advanced functionality.” “Simplicity” is the key word
when it comes to components, specifications, and maintenance, the manufacturer says. All trucks feature a standard, limited 12-month/2,000-hour warranty.
What makes these forklifts different from other basic, lower-priced trucks
on the market (besides their unique powder-blue paint job)? Utilev is a division of NACCO Materials Handling—parent of Hyster and Yale lift trucks—
and the new forklifts are serviced by NACCO’s experienced, nationwide dealer network. The company is betting that its record of product and service
quality will draw customers and alleviate any concerns about service and
parts availability, which reportedly has been a problem with some other low-cost nameplates, including some of the Chinese makes that are aimed at a
similar market.
For more information, visit www.utilev.com. ;
